Strong growth for digital radio sales in Europe

The first half of 2017 has seen rapid growth in sales of DAB+ receivers across Europe – driven by Norway’s switchover from FM to DAB+ and the development of digital radio markets across the continent.

The latest GfK research, covering nine European markets, shows a 30% increase in sales volumes for the first six months of 2017 compared to the same period last year. Covering Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, the research found that over 1.1 million DAB/DAB+ receivers* have been sold in the first six months of 2017.

Sales in Norway have almost tripled, increasing by 192% year on year**. According to Digital Radio Norway, over 4.1 million digital radios have now been sold, with 78% of Norwegian households owning one or more DAB+ sets.

The next country to start digital switchover (DSO) will be Switzerland in 2020. A major advertising campaign preparing consumers for DSO started earlier this year, contributing to a 9% increase in DAB/DAB+ receiver sales in the first half of the year.

Other headlines include:

German DAB+ sales grew by 11% with total sales of more than 500,000 in the first half of the year

Sales for The Netherlands and Belgium grew by a combined total of 40%

Patrick Hannon, President, WorldDAB, said: “These figures demonstrate the strength of the market in Europe. Not only do we have the impact of digital switchovers in Norway this year and Switzerland (2020-24), but we are also seeing the rapid development of DAB+ in a growing number of territories.

“Strong political commitment, the launch of new services, increased coverage and investment in consumer marketing campaigns are helping to drive DAB+ sales across the continent. With increasing economies of scale and continued innovation from manufacturers, the prospects for the sector are extremely favourable.”

Sara Detzel, GfK, said: “Within the radio sales of the first half of 2017, the share of DAB/DAB+ has increased across all nine countries compared to last year. Norway’s digital switchover has had a significant impact on growth in Europe, alongside increased demand from countries investing in expanded DAB+ networks and services such as Germany.”

Through its POS panel, GfK regularly collects data in more than 100 countries worldwide on the sale of technical consumer goods, including audio products. More information is available from GfK.